Michigan Man Arrested for Threatening to ‘Gun Down’ CNN Employees

A Michigan man was arrested last Friday for making several calls to CNN’s Atlanta headquarters during which he threatened to "gun you all down," according to federal court records.

Brandon Griesemer was arrested in his parent's home near Detroit for calling CNN 22 times on Jan. 9 and 10 and castigating the network, Jews, and African Americans, NBC News reported Tuesday.

That same day, Griesemer was released after posting $10,000 bond on a charge of "transmitting interstate communications with the intent to extort and threat to injure."

According to an FBI affidavit, Griesemer, whose age was not listed, made the calls from the same phone number that was used in September to make threats against an Islamic center in Ann Arbor.

Griesemer admitted to local police that he made the call to the mosque and said he was "angry at the time of the call."

Among the latest allegations against Griesemer, authorities accuse the Michigan resident of threatening CNN employees.

"Fake news. I'm coming to gun you all down," Griesemer said in one call to CNN, according to the FBI.

In a separate call, he is accused of saying, "I'm coming for you, CNN. I'm smarter than you. More powerful than you. I have more guns than you. More manpower. Your cast is about to get gunned down in a matter of hours."

The FBI said that four of the 22 calls to CNN included explicit threats.

The Michigan man was arrested only days after President Donald Trump announced his "fake news awards" on the official Republican Party website, where he mentioned CNN several times on the list.

The affidavit did not mention Trump, nor did it suggest a link between Griesemer's alleged actions and Trump's repeated attacks on CNN and other media outlets.

"We take any threats to CNN employees or workplaces, around the world, extremely seriously," CNN said in a statement. "This one is no exception. We have been in touch with local and federal law enforcement throughout, and have taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our people."

Katelyn CaralleEmail Katelyn | Full Bio | RSSKatelyn Caralle is a media analyst at the Washington Free Beacon. Before joining Free Beacon, Katelyn worked as a Digital Strategy Intern at The Heritage Foundation. She graduated from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in 2016 where she served as Editor-in-Chief of The Voice.